Episode 3 Supporting Cast
This page features short descriptions of secondary characters who appeared in the third episode of the adventures concerning the Harlowe Traveling Adventure Brokerage. For a list of the primary player characters and important NPCs, please refer to the main page for that adventure: Tome and Void. Gerad Gerad is an icon-carver living in the city of High Ostberg. He was first introduced to the party when they stopped into his shop after witnessing an inverted and profaned talisman of Ahriman on display in his front window. He is a gruff and cantankerous old man who is bitter at what he perceives as the damage done to the world in the name of religion, and especially bitter at Phillipe Marienburg for his invention of the god Ahriman, questioning the character of anyone who would dare to bring a new god into a world that, in his view, had quite enough already. He assisted the party by providing insights into the religion of Wotan, as well as sharing his collection of heretical writings, chronicling the corrupt social and political motivations behind the establishment of a number of major religions throughout history, including those centered around the gods Sul and Krom, as well as Wotan. Notably, he seems to think Ahriman is the next in line in this history. Gerad also provided Caramella with a large sigil of the ancient lich Barbelith the Undying for the establishment of her church within the Sunless Citadel. Gordo Gordo is one of Dalton's two men at arms, and the only one of the trio to survive the duel against Phillipe at the Heidelberg Estate. He was known to the men of the Claykeep Fighter's Guild as a compassionate and caring man who frequently looked after new recruits, helping them find their strengths within the organization. He was the chief chef of Dalton's company, owing to his ability to perfectly replicate the lemon cakes Dalton enjoyed in his childhood. Following the duel, he was among the few members of the Guild arrested by Richard von Heidelberg, the duel's officiant. He currently resides in the dungeons of High Ostberg, forgotten about by the bureaucracy. Cruel Petyr Cruel Petyr was a captain under the command of Dalton, and Dalton's second in the duel against Phillipe. He was known among the men for being a fierce and vicious fighter, but that reputation was tainted with fear because of Petyr's tendency to inflict his opponents with the most painful wounds possible. He received his nickname after an incident in which he knocked a man unconscious in a bar fight and then skinned all the flesh from his right arm. After interfering in the duel by throwing a knife at Phillipe at a critical moment, Petyr was slain by Phillipe's second, Ern, who clove him in twain with a single blow of his greataxe. Slow Swinson A farmhand rescued and recruited into the Guild by Dalton, moments before he was to be hanged by the farm owners for stealing milk. Dalton recognized him as a stupid but loyal man, and though he has few friends in this life, he is respected by most of his comrades. He was targeted by the party after they learned that he kept a paper on his person containing the password to Dalton's base of operations in High Ostberg, to aid his weak memory. After being seduced by Brecca Sylen, Swinson was sent to a brothel where he was tied up and interrogated by Ern and Caramella, given opium to destroy his memory, and then dumped naked into a trash cart. Slow Swinson was unable to muster enough courage to go back to the Guild and admit his failing before they were driven out of town, and as such has had to acclimate himself to a new life as a horse groom. He has been chastised at least once by his new employers for stealing lamp oil from the stables. Marius An accomplished fighter in the employ of the Elder Consortium as a bodyguard for Thibault De Luxe. Despite his martial prowess, he is a studious individual, spending his time off the job immersed in texts on economics, hoping one day to work as a manager in the Consortium banks. Grantaire Another bodyguard of Thibault, and the boyfriend of Marius. Unlike Marius, he has no aspirations beyond the cultivation of his martial abilities and improving his capacity to drink greater amounts of liquor. His ribald demeanor is always able to rouse Marius from his frequent bouts of depression. Mingus An academic in the city of High Ostberg, with contentious feelings towards the Elder Consortium and Thibault De Luxe in particular. He was inspired by Phillipe's challenge of Dalton and roused his comrades to publicize the event through word of mouth and the creation and distribution of an elaborate flier. Strangely, he was nowhere to be found after the duel itself, and no one in High Ostberg has seen him since... Janus The captain of Thibault De Luxe's scouts; he was sent into the marshes south of Ostberg, ostensibly to spy out the location of the Grimoire of Mammon. In reality, Thibault intended the text to be transferred to Father Barbaroi and only sent Janus to lend authenticity to the ruse he developed to ensnare the party. The party found Janus dead beneath a pitch-soaked cypress tree in the marsh, presumably having been killed by the Kuo-Toa who inhabited that area. While he was living, Janus was an avid outdoorsman, enjoying hikes in the foothills of the Ostberg Chain mountains, excursions to nearby fishing villages, and even hunting trips with the Khushakh barbarians, with whom he had developed an unlikely rapport. Astrid Along with Marguerite, one of the top scouts recruited by Janus, who was given full discretion in establishing the scouting corps for Thibault. She was chosen not only for her exceptional tracking and hunting ability, but also because of her extremely pragmatic view of reality. She believes values and history to be extremely malleable things, and consequently is very skilled in not just pretending to be other people, but in truly altering herself to fit into any group necessary to gather whatever information was required. A staunch realist, she is also mistrustful of magic as a general rule. Marguerite Astrid's best friend, and nearly the polar opposite in all respects. While she is also a dependable tracker and hunter, she is known for being deeply concerned with spirituality and dabbling in any faiths or spiritual traditions that will allow her to do so. Because of habits such as carrying lucky charms and sleeping under a device designed to ward off nightmares, she is viewed by Marguerite and many others as somewhat vapid. In reality, however, her kind and curious nature has won her many friends, which, combined with her encyclopedic knowledge of spiritual customs and local traditions, makes her an invaluable source of information for Thibault's regime. Yevgeny A young acolyte summoned from the Temple of Wotan by Father Barbaroi to help at the church he developed for the Khushakh. Yevgeny was a jovial young man, who always made sport of any situation, including his own shortcomings. Consequently, he was seen as a "happy fool" by his comrades at the Temple, and was much loved by them. He suffered greatly when forced to take the vow of silence for some time after becoming an official novice, and was considering leaving the faith before being summoned by Barbaroi. Ultimately, Yevgeny's skull was crushed by Ern in the battle against Father Barbaroi. Dupris One of the three young men summoned from the Temple of Wotan by Barbaroi to act as his acolytes at the Khushakh church. Dupris was bitter about this particular duty, as he had always been singled out for harsh lessons by Barbaroi, who considered the young man's artistic sensibilities to be a weakness that must be purged before Dupris could become truly devoted to the way of Wotan. On one notable incident, Barbaroi forced him to smash a flute he spent the better part of a year carving, referring to it as an act of "overcoming weakness". Dupris considered rebuking Barbaroi's summons, for which he would have been ostracized by the faith, but ultimately relented because he wanted to provide support for his friend Yevgeny, who had been consigned to the same fate. Dupris was incinerated by a bolt of lightning in the battle against Father Barbaroi. Lyoshenka A young acolyte summoned from the Temple of Wotan by Father Barbaroi to help at the church he developed for the Khushakh. He was widely considered to be the best wrestler out of the group of initiates he joined the faith with, and was consequently considered to be a soul blessed by Wotan. In spite of his martial abilities, he was a gentle soul, who was known for taking care of injured or hungry animals he found in the woods around the temple. Lyoshenka was killed when his throat was torn out by Otalmo in the battle against Father Barbaroi.